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Crises

Instable and dangerous occurrences affecting specific communities or whole societies can be devastating to systems of goverance and state function. Crises are 'emergencey events' deemed to be negative changes in security, economic, political, societal or environmental affairs, especially when they occur abruptly. A deeper understanding of the path to resolving these 'emergency events' or 'crises', are central to CIC's efforts to help actors effectively navigate new risks and find opportunities for effective cooperation.

Related Publications

Does U.N. peacekeeping matter? President Barack Obama believes that it does — and he has advocated the cause more forcefully than any of his predecessors since George H. W. Bush, who once looked to the U.N. to help forge a “new world order.” The catastrophes of Somalia, Rwanda, and Bosnia purged that dream forever; but from literally his first day in office, when the United States paid off its outstanding arrears at the U.N., Obama has championed peacekeeping as a low-cost and effective means of policing turbulent places.

Since the end of the Cold War, crises from the Balkans to Central Asia and Africa have forced international organizations to adapt, expand, and cooperate to end civil wars, manage humanitarian challenges, and contain terrorist threats. The Power of Dependence, which includes a foreword by CIC Associated Directors Barnett Rubin and Richard Gowan explores the complex relationship between two of these organizations: NATO and the United Nations.

Europe should expect ever-increasing pressure from refugees on its southern borders unless it is prepared to bear the cost and risk of military operations to control conflict in Europe’s southern neighbourhood, according to this policy paper. It says while the growing refugee problem generated by conflicts in the Middle East and Africa calls for a more interventionist response from the EU, Europeans have preferred to leave the job to others, notably the UN.

Past Events

This high-level dialogue will underscore the power of multilateralism to address the world’s most urgent challenges, among them, climate change, sustainable development, protracted humanitarian crises, large-scale human rights abuse, and threats to international peace and security. They are complex, global, cross-border issues that countries cannot address on their own.

Bringing together the Presidents of the General Assembly, ECOSOC, and the Security Council, the dialogue will underscore the value of discussing development, peace and security, and human rights in support of collective objectives.

Jason Stearns, CIC Senior Fellow, chaired a Human Rights Workshop titled, "Congo Past and Present: Reflections on Rights-Based Advocacy After Twenty Years of Conflict" on Thursday September 28 at the Schell Center for International Human Rights at Yale University School of Law.